WRITING FOR RADIO:Movies in the Mind

Writing for Radio: Movies in the Mind

RADIO IS A MEDIUM OF ENDLESS POSSIBILITY. THE ONLY LIMIT IS YOUR OWN IMAGINATION.

For a writer, radio can be the most creative medium of all. It engages an audience in a uniquely powerful way, and the results can be extraordinary.

A voice... a sound effect... silence... another voice... some music...

A few simple sounds can achieve a dramatic impact, because everything happens in the listener's mind, and their imagination is invested in telling the story. No other medium can hook an audience in such a compelling way. In addition, radio is a great way to develop your career in the broadcast world. BBC radio is one of the world’s biggest commissioners of drama and comedy, and some broadcasts get audiences of a million plus – more than many TV shows. It’s a hungry medium.

This hands-on workshop uses exercises to cover nearly every aspect of writing for radio and other audio platforms - comedy sketches; radio sitcoms and series; drama, radio ads - to explore all the possibilities of work in the medium.

​COURSE CONTENT

ON THE COURSE YOU'LL LEARN:

How to use voices and words to create effective characters.

How to write distinctive radio dialogue, for comedy and drama.

How to write and use monologue - including internal monologue.

How and when to use sound effects and music.

How to create settings and locations... and how to take the listener there.

How to keep the listener listening.

What to leave out, and how to use the sound of silence.

How much information the listener can handle.

Which programmes can make the transition from radio to TV or film... and which can't, and will never be as good in any other medium - and why.

In television and radio Paul has worked with some of the biggest names in British comedy, on dozens of shows. He co-wrote and produced the award-winning BBC Radio 4 comedy Do Go On with Graeme Garden and Griff Rhys Jones, and wrote the radio sitcom At Home with the Hardys with Jeremy Hardy. His own sitcom, Reception, was broadcast by BBC Radio 4 in 2014. His radio plays have starred Bill Nighy, David Hemmings, Alison Steadman. and Martin Clunes.Find out more...